Idle thoughts about various things of interest, and random recollections of youth interspersed with photography projects and friends best works...

Friday, 23 March 2012

The Hunger Games

Oddly feel like I haven't blogged in a while....I was tempted to do so on the Kony and IC affair, and maybe some on Syria, but don't want to get into too much trouble so I'm gonna stick to poetry, fictional stories and film reviews.....nice stuff like satire that could never offend anybody instead of real life important issues....

The below link is for my review of The Hunger Games with Phoenix Magazine, which is you haven't read you probably should, as fashion magazines go it's very cool, although admittedly my knowledge of fashion is limited to advice from my sister and being constantly corrected on who owns Gucci and that Prada isn't a real person....

I have never read the books on The Hunger Games, partly because I'd never heard of them until this huge massive advertising campaign swept through the UK like a rapid horse frothing at the mouth with anticipation so I went in relatively unbiased, apart from already thinking Jennifer Lawrence is superb and wanting Woody Harrelson to teach me the secrets to life...so below is my opinion on the film.....

Thinly veiled sarcasm about events from two months ago...awesome! I read the review yesterday before my sisters went to see the film. After they'd seen it, they convinced me it was far too violent for my sometimes delicate sensibilities. It was a provoking review, and not as negative as some people were taking it yesterday on Twitter.

I haven't read the books and I haven't seen the film. I was going to take my daughter this weekend but then I read a bit more about it and decided she was too young to see it (she'll be 11 next month but she's quite a young 11). I don't know if I'll see it myself now. I saw the trailer a couple of weeks ago and it looked pretty good but I think maybe I'm just too old, in the same way I think I'm too old for the whole Twilight phenomenon, I didnt read those books or see those films either, I just couldn't bring myself to since they're aimed at people decades younger than I am. Although I love certain films or tv shows and will happily go to conventions for them, I dont get the whole rabid obsession that films like Harry Potter, Twilight and now this one foster, it scares me a little.

Sorry about the previous deletions - just correcting typos. Considering that the franchise is aimed at young adults and teens (the books are even offered in the Scholastic catalog for 3rd graders), I think it is a gentle way to introduce them to thinking about concepts that they may have considered before. After this they can get into more meaty material. I think they balanced it fairly well. The books do a much better job of connecting you both to the characters and the brutality of their world. Therefore the violence of the games has stronger emotional impact. One way the book did this was to spend way more time with Katniss in her regular life before she volunteers for the games. So, you get to know her and the people around her. You live in their world with them. Another example is Katniss' relationship with Cinna. The book has a lot more about them, which really makes it hearbreaking. Lenny Kravitz's performance was great and he said a lot without saying anything but I wanted to see more of what was in the book. I'm assuming the movie, which clocks in at over two hours as is, didn't do this because of time. However, if they had the emotional impact of every death and Katniss' danger would have been a lot more meaningful.

Okay, I waited to read your review until I saw the film itself. Having read the trilogy in one go after receiving them for Christmas, I didn't want that to color my reaction.

I attempted to reply here, but Blogger has a 4,096 character limit for replies. So, read it on my very boring blog, where if nothing else, the formatting is much prettier. http://dereelexperience.blogspot.com/2012/03/response-eoins-hunger-games-review.html

Interesting review, Eoin. I still haven't seen the film yet - my daughter won't let me until she has finished the books...It seems you are not alone. This review agrees with your opinions, and it made me laugh...http://halfagiraffe.tv/index.php/the-hunger-games/

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Things about me

A misunderstood misanthropic actor/film maker/writer type who probably has a greater sense of self worth than he should whilst simultaneously having a deep sense of self loathing, coupled with an optimism for the future and a paradoxical senseless love for humanity.